1. Field
This disclosure generally relates to gauges and checking fixtures, and deals more particularly with a method of automatic fabrication of a gauge having integrated features and components, and a gauge fabricated by the method.
2. Background
Fixture type gauges may be used to determine the conformance of mass-produced parts with one or more reference standards. For example, metal or plastic tubes used as fuel, hydraulic or pneumatic lines on vehicles may include a number of bends and turns that must be manufactured within certain tolerances in order to assure that the tubes can achieve proper fitment on the vehicle. Fixture gauges, sometimes referred to as checking fixtures, may be used to check whether a tube has been manufactured to within the required tolerances.
In the past, fixture gauges of the type mentioned above were manufactured from wood, or similar solid material, in which one or more gauge blocks were individually fabricated and mounted on a gauge base. The gauge blocks included features that allowed a worker to place a tube on the gauge blocks and visually determine whether various features of the tube had been manufactured within the required tolerance. Early types of fixture gauges were made by skilled toolmakers with woodworking skills. More recently, the process of fabricating wooden fixture gauges has been partially automated using computer-controlled equipment to cut out components of the gauge and mark them with alignment marks that aid in assembling the components with the required accuracy. This partially automated process for fabricating fixture gauges is nevertheless more time consuming than desired, and relies on skilled workers to properly align and assemble the components of the gauge. Additionally, reliance on workers to assemble a gauge introduces the possibility human error which may affect accuracy of the gauge
Accordingly, there is a need for a method of making a checking gauge having features that are integrated within a common reference coordinate system that is rapid, repeatable and substantially eliminates human error in the fabrication and assembly process. There is also a need for a checking gauge having multiple features that are precisely located relative to each other using automated manufacturing techniques.